WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 10/01/99

[7-E-Internet-Crime]

[ANCHOR=melanie]

[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-31 1:33:39]
[GRAPHIC=Net Porn]

The Blue Ridge went to Capitol Hill yesterday.
Bedford County sheriff Mike Brown and his internet crime-fighting unit briefed lawmakers on the dangers the Internet poses to children.
Steve Smallshaw reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=You'll be introduced]
[SUPER=01-Mike Brown/Bedford Co. Sheriff; :00]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC; :08]
[SUPER=@Robb; :38]
[SUPER=@ssm1; :50]
[SUPER=@Goodlatte; :58]
[RUNS=1:18]
[OUT Q=News7, Washington.]

(( TRANSCRIPT NOT AVAILABLE))

[7-E-Police-Video]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=net P]
[GRAPHIC=none]

Police officers across the country use them to help gather evidence and identify suspects.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

They're small camcorders mounted inside police cars.
The Roanoke City Police Department has installed all of its district vehicles with one them.
And police say it gives them an edge when it comes to fighting crime.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nationally we've had]
((SGT. D.R. BOYER/ROANOKE CITY POLICE: NATIONALLY WE'VE HAD MANY DIFFERENT INSTANCES WHERE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WHERE OFFICER HAVE BEEN KILLED OR SEVERELY INJURED BY SUSPECTS AND HAD NO EVIDENCE. NOW WITH THE CAMERAS IN THE VEHICLES WE HAVE THE EVIDENCE AND THE PERPETRATORS OF THESE CRIMES HAVE BEEN CAUGHT))
[SUPER=01-Sgt. D.R. Boyer/Roanoke City Police]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=crimes have been caught]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The camera records the date, time and vehicle number.
Every tape is categorized and held as evidence.
Once something is recorded only a supervisor has access to it.
(------------)

[7-E-Tidwell]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-27 1:28:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

He helped a Campbell County woman dispose of her husband's dead body.
Now he's been convicted of the crime.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Appomattox/March]
[Shots of Tidwell, from 99-44]
Curtis Tidwell had been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Nick Olivarri last fall.
But the prosecutor decided there was not enough evidence to convict him,
So he went for two lesser charges, including illegal disposal of a body.
Tidwell was convicted on those counts yesterday. He'll be sentenced in December.
Olivarri's wife, Sandra, is still awaiting trial.
(------------)

[7Weather]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

Looking at today's forecast. A chilly start this morning, but this afternoon promises pleasant sunshine with a high around 70. Lows tonight in the 40s.

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[45-E-Camera-Police]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-38 22:39]
[GRAPHIC=None]

Across the country police departments have been using technology to help them fight crime.
Now Roanoke is equipping all its vehicles with an electrical set of eyes, so to speak.
Joy Sutton explains.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's a small camcorder]
[SUPER=03-Wilmington, OH/Feb. 15, 1997; :08]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :19]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. D.R. Boyer/Roanoke City Police; :33]
[SUPER=@Joy2; 1:19]
[RUNS=1:31]
[OUT Q=N7 Roanoke]
(( It's a small camcorder mounted inside a police car.
When things go wrong it can be a police officer's best eye witness.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT Feed Tape 17:03:30]
[IN Q=NAT sound of shooting]
((NAT SOUND OF SHOOTING))
[RUNS= 5]
[OUT Q=Nat sound]

This shooting in Wilmington, Ohio was caught on tape by a video camera in an officer's car.
The Roanoke City Police Department is among several police forces across the country using the hi-tech help to record evidence, and identify suspects.
Cameras are installed in every Roanoke district vehicle -- and police say there are several benefits.
(//// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:47:34]
[IN Q=We've had at least]
((SGT. D.R. BOYER/ROANOKE CITY POLICE:WE'VE HAD AT LEAST TWO INSTANCES WHERE THERE WERE ALLEGATIONS OF OFFICER MISCONDUCT, WHERE THE CAMERA WAS ABLE TO EXONERATE THE OFFICER))
[RUNS= 8]
[OUT Q=no evidence]

The camera starts recording automatically when an officer turns on the blue lights.
The officer can also trigger the camcorder with a remote - which has a mic attached to record sound up to 1500 feet away.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:53:46]
[IN Q=And the camera]
((JOY SUTTON/REPORTER: AND THE CAMERA CAN ALSO BE TURNED AROUND INSIDE THE VEHICLE SO THE OFFICER CAN RECORD AND MONITOR THE PERSON IN CUSTODY))
[RUNS= 6]
[OUT Q=in custody]

The camera records the date, time, and vehicle number.
Every tape is categorized and held as evidence.
And once something is recorded - only a supervisor has access to the tape.
(//// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:50:48]
[IN Q=The individual officer]
((SGT. DR BOYER/ROANOKE CITY POLICE: THE INDIVIDUAL OFFICER OR ANYBODY ELSE WHO WOULD BREAK INTO THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY WITHIN THE VEHICLE TO TAPE OVER OR TO ALTER OR TO EJECT THE TAPE))
[RUNS= 10]
[OUT Q=the tape]

The camcorder may not be as good as a partner - but with many Roanoke officers traveling the streets alone, Sergeant Boyer says these cameras are welcome assistants.
Joy Sutton, News 7, Roanoke.))

[45-E-Woodson]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=99-30 1:43:00]
[GRAPHIC=None]

A 16 year old Roanoke boy has a felony conviction on his record for making a bomb threat at Patrick Henry High School.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

Jason Woodson made the threat one week after the shootings at Columbine High in Colorado.
He was suspended from school for a year but is still earning credits toward graduation.
He has also been in counseling and is on medication for depression.
Woodson's conviction includes 64 hours of community service, a 250 dollar fine and restriction of his driver's license for 3 months.
(------------)

[45-E-Wells]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#=99-28 1:43:24]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]

[wipe wipe wipe]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Pulaski;]

A former substitute teacher in Pulaski County faces at least four years in prison for smoking marijuana with students.
34 - year old Andrea Lynn Wells pleaded guilty to two felony charges yesterday.
The incident happened last spring while Wells was working as a substitute at Pulaski County's Alternative school.
In court-- she admitted to leaving school property during lunch, and smoking a marijuana cigarette with two teenage students.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
(---------------)

[45Weather]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=]
[GRAPHIC=]

After a chilly start to the day, the afternoon forecast has sunny skies and pleasant temperatures.
(ad lib forecast) The extended forecast keeps the skies clear until the beginning of next week when some rain showers are possible.

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[8-E-Henry-Sewage]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-34]
[GRAPHIC=Henry Co. Sewage]

They've complained of raw sewage backing up in their homes for years.
But those headaches may be over soon for customers of a private Henry County sewage plant.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Henry Co.;]

Henry County declared a state of emergency for the Fair Acres sewage treatment plant and the Blackberry Creek area.
That allows the county to take control of the plant and clean it up.
Residents say they've complained for years...
The Department of Environmental Quality began investigating after it found dangerous levels of contamination in Blackberry Creek.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 1:07:43 - :54]
[IN Q=I think it's about time because]
((PAM RHODES/HENRY CO. RESIDENT: I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME BECAUSE I'VE LIVED THERE FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS AND IT'S REALLY NEEDED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF A LONG TIME AGO. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TOOK DEQ SO LONG AND ALL THESE OTHER HIGH OFFICIALS SO LONG TO GET IT DONE.))
[SUPER=01-Pam Rhodes/Henry Co. Resident;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=so long to get it done.]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=Hold]

Henry County officials say it will take at least one month and seven-thousand dollars to clean up the facility and get it running again.

[8-E-Rubatex]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#=99-33 1:35:40]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex Strike]

Workers continue to walk th picket line at Rubatex, now comes word that some striker workers could lose their jobs.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[****start with video from 99-43****]
[SUPER=03-Bedford/September 13]

The United Steelworkers local 240 has been on strike for almost three weeks.
The company's chief negotiator says there's a good chance some of the strikers will never get called back.
Rubatex is using temporary workers.
And the company says its production levels haven't dropped -- even though the strike has cut its workforce in half.
Rubatex will not say how many strikers might lose their jobs.
(------------)

[8-Advance-Auto]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=kor]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Advance Auto]

It's the first agreement of its kind in Virginia.
Roanoke based Advance Auto Parts has entered a partnership with the state community college system.
It will offer jobs and internships to train workers for the company.
The program will begin in Hampton Roads but eventually will be statewide.

[8-E-81-Accident]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jsu]
[TAPE#=99-35 1:13:00]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Accidents]

Two separate accidents caused traffic back-ups on Interstate 81 yesterday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke Co/Yesterday.]

One crash happened at the main Roanoke exit and involved six vehicles.
A car having trouble merging from Interstate 5-81 stopped suddenly, causing a chain reaction.
One driver was charged with improper stopping another with reckless driving.
The second wreck happened near exit 140 near Salem.
A northbound car was knocked into the median by a tractor trailer into the southbound lanes, causing the car to hit ANOTHER tractor trailer.
One person was taken to the hospital.
(------------)

[8-E-Tidwell]

[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=AM Cutins]
[WRITER=jmc]
[TAPE#=99-27 1:28:42]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The man who helped a Campbell County woman dispose of her husband's dead body has been convicted of the crime.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Appomattox/March]
[Shots of Tidwell, from 99-44]
Curtis Tidwell had been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Nick Olivarri last fall.
But the prosecutor decided there wasn't enough evidence to convict him,
So he went for two lesser charges, including illegal disposal of a body.
Tidwell was convicted on those counts yesterday. He'll be sentenced in December.
Olivarri's wife, Sandra, is still awaiting trial for the murder.
(------------)